Bon Odori
by Geoduck
Summary: It's late summer, the time of festivals. There's nothing that would make Ryoga happier than spending a night at the festival with his girlfriend (or the girl he has lingering feelings for). But when he can't do that, he still finds that he can enjoy being lost sometimes.


He had heard the ondo music from some distance. The rhythm was unmistakable. He followed it for kilometers as evening fell.

He rather liked going to festivals, even if they were a bit confusing and hard to navigate.

Must be getting closer, he thought. There were people walking in the same direction as him, many of them wearing yukata.

It had been a long time since he'd had a yukata. They were nice to have, but space was at a premium in his backpack. He couldn't afford to haul around a garment he might only wear a couple times a year. He had one in junior high, but that was back home in his closet, and by now it surely must be far too small to fit him.

It'd be nice to see Akane in a yukata. Or Akari. Either one, he wasn't picky. He grinned. Ranma in a girl's yukata would be pretty funny.

His face soured. Of course, Ranma was probably with Akane right now. Maybe at the Bon festival in Nerima.

And Akari would probably be at the farm right now, getting the chores done. Maybe she'd go to her local festival with her grandfather.

"Is it... hey, it is! Welcome back!" A stranger slapped him on the shoulder jovially.

"Uh, sure, thank you." Ryoga tried to place the face, and failed. He saw so many faces every day. Maybe this guy was mistaking him for someone else?

"You used to pass through all the time, but it's been so long, we thought we'd seen the last of you. Hibiki, right? Hey, did you ever find Furinkan High School?" Okay, he _definitely _wasn't mistaking him for someone else.

"Ah, yes, thanks for your concern," he bowed slightly out of habit. "I was actually trying to head back in that direction, but then I heard the ondo."

"Yeah, it's our local Bon festival tonight. You're coming, right?"

"Ah, I thought I'd look in for a bit before I headed off."

"Oh, you have to stay. Everyone will want to see the guy who single-handedly saved our village from that rampaging wild boar."

Oh, it's _that _village. "Well, I wouldn't want to impose."

"Impose? Not a chance. Heck, after what you did for us, I'll bet you won't have to pay for any of your food or drink tonight."

"I only did what a martial artist's duty."

"And now we'll do our duty by treating you like an honored guest." They approached the festival grounds. "Hey, look who found his way back!"

For a moment a few dozen people looked closely at him. Then, gasps of recognition. "It's him!" "He's back!" "Is he lost again?"

Ryoga found himself surrounded. "Hey, where have you been?" "Beaten any monsters lately?" "Have some of my yakisoba!" "No, have my takoyaki!" "No, have my watermelon!"

Within moments, he found himself seated on a bench with elderly ladies to each side, fussing over him. "How far did you say you walked? You'd better eat more." "What? You have a girlfriend already? Well, in case that doesn't work out, I have a granddaughter who would be perfect for you."

Then, men in front of him. "So, what are you drinking tonight? Beer? Sake?" "Ah, actually, I'm still underage." "Don't worry about it, nobody's going to begrudge a drink to the man who saved our village!"

Young boys wrestled in front of him, showing off. One boy wielded a stick in an imitation of Ryoga's umbrella. "This is how you beat the boar, right, niisan?" "No, he did it like this! Like this!"

The elderly ladies were replaced with girls much closer to his own age. "Tell us about your adventures, Ryoga-kun." "You're so strong, Ryoga-kun, can I feel your muscles?" "Are you lonely without your girlfriend, Ryoga-kun? Maybe I can keep you company."

Ryoga looked down at the ground. It was nice being around people who were happy to see him, but it felt like a bit much.

He felt a tug on his trousers. He looked in front of him to see a little girl, maybe six years old looking back at him. "Dance with me, niichan," she ordered, and grabbed his hand.

"Ah, I'm not sure I know the dance. I haven't done it for a long time."

"That's okay. I'll teach you." She pulled him toward the central dancing area. "Now you stand next to me. Okay? Clap twice, then raise this hand, then raise the other hand. Make a little step forward and a little step back. Now wave this hand, and wave the other hand. Now cross your arms and two steps forward… niichan! You're going the wrong way!"

Ryoga blushed, "Ah, sorry, sorry."

The little girl huffed. "Well, just be more careful."

As the music played, Ryoga, his partner, and all the other dancers slowly made their way around the tower.

Ryoga was surprised to find himself enjoying the experience. Like martial arts, dancing was a matter of forms: learning them and then perfecting them. And like the arts, there was satisfaction that came from completing a form successfully.

If he was being brutally blunt with himself, he'd have to admit that he might not get these kinds of feelings of satisfaction if he were dancing with Akari or Akane. Feelings of yearning, feelings of happiness of being so close, feelings of fear that it would all end in a moment's notice- these would be far stronger than the feelings he was experiencing now. Feelings of a simple joy of movement. And the feelings of being in a place where he was unequivocally welcomed.

The music stopped, and his partner brought him back to the bench where he was before.

"So, if I may ask, what is the name of the young lady who taught me the dance?"

She looked at him and smiled. "I'm Yoiko!"

He chuckled a bit at that. "Pleased to meet you, Yoiko-chan. I'm Ryoga."

"I know. Why are you laughing?"

"It's just that I met another Yoiko not long ago. But I definitely like you better than I like her."

"I'm gonna get some watermelon, then we'll dance again. Okay? Don't leave yet."

"All right." As she scampered off, he watched the rest of dancers. People of all ages, some dancing with family, or with romantic partners, or just with friends. All of them united in belonging to the community.

And tonight, for once, he felt like he was part of the community, too. So much different than how he felt in Nerima, or up on the farm with Akari.

It might be nice to bring Akari here, he thought. Though probably not Katsunishiki. He might cause a little bit of panic.

"I'm back!" He looked down to see Yoiko. She grabbed his hand again, this time sticky with watermelon juice. "Let's dance, niichan."

It did feel nice to belong.

* * *

Notes: At the time I wrote this, about a year ago, I had been in a writing slump, so I was just going to do some quick one-paragraph writing exercises. I got the prompt 'dancing', but I couldn't stop at a paragraph. I hope you enjoyed!


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